The Road to Hell...
by Groovy Blue
Summary: ...is paved with good intentions. I suck at summaries.
1. 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to videogame series The Legend of Zelda. Destiny is a concept that has been around far longer than I have been, I have just decided to give her a spiritual and physical form. There will be some other original characters in this story and any resemblence they may have to humans or other ficitional charcters is entirely coincidental. Comments and constructive criticism are welcome but no flames please =). ~Animal Cracker  
  
-----------------------------------------   
  
Link usually didn't dream. During his quest, he had to be able to sense and react to enemy attack, even during sleep. Dreaming was inconvenient, it always took precious seconds to distinguish dream from reality, seconds that could cost him his life. Somehow, he wouldn't dream if he didn't want to, and he hadn't wanted to ever since he had finished his journey, afraid of what he might find. So he didn't dream, hadn't for almost a year. But now he was dreaming again. It was a dream strangely similar to the one that had foretold his destiny. Why was he dreaming again? Why?   
  
*****Dream*****  
  
He was in a room. A room that was completely gray, and completely square, with no doors, no windows, only four blank, featureless walls. He reached for his sword in case he had to defend himself, only to realize that it wasn't there. He had no weapons on him, and his body was seventeen years old. This confused him but before he could do anything about it, someone spoke.   
  
"Link..." Suddenly, there appeared a woman in the center of a room. Like the room, she was also gray, her hair, her eyes, her clothes, everything except her skin, which seemed to glow with unearthly light. She did not seem old, she did not seem young. Ageless. Before he could do anything, she spoke again. "You have never met me before, Link, but I have been a part of your life since before you were born. Do you know who I am, Link?"  
  
Now greatly confused, Link merely shook his head.   
  
"I am known to mortals, but not as a goddess or deity. To you, I am merely a force, an idea. I prefer it that way. I control your lives, but not in the way you may think. I do not dictate your every action, your every movement, when you sleep, when you eat. But in the end, all you do is in accordance with the tapestry I began weaving before the Three Goddess of the Holy Triad created your land. Do you know who I am now, Link?"  
  
He hazarded a guess. "Um...fate? Destiny?"  
  
She smiled. "Yes, Link, I am Destiny. Now that you know who I am, do you know why I have brought you here to my domain?"  
  
He sighed. "I suppose you're going to send me on another mission to fulfill my destiny...which I guess would be your wishes."  
  
She smiled again. "I knew I chose the right person. Yes, you will have to complete a task, one that is very important. You should be fairly comfortable with it, seeing as it involves going back in time. You need not know much more than this. You will be sent ten years in to the past. When you have completed your task, you will return to the present. Good luck."  
  
And before he could even protest, he was traveling through the familiar tunnel of blue light, hearing the familiar tune of the Song of Time, and waking up.  
  
---------------------------------  
  
To be continued... 


	2. 2

Wow...somebody actually read my story!   
  
Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to videogame series The Legend of Zelda. Destiny is a concept that has been around far longer than I have been, I have just decided to give her a spiritual and physical form. There will be some other original characters in this story and any resemblence they may have to humans or other ficitional charcters is entirely coincidental. Comments and constructive criticism are welcome but no flames please. Unless it's to tell me my characters are Mary Sue's or Gary Stu's. If that happens, fire away =). ~Animal Cracker   
  
---------------------------------------  
  
Link didn't know what he was expecting when he finally woke up. Probably not his treehouse in Kokiri Forest. The Temple of Time maybe, or one of the twisted places of worship the various peoples of Hyrule called temples. Most likely surrounded by monsters intent on giving him a violent and bloody death, which was mostly what his last quest had consisted of. What he wasn't expecting was to wake up in a perfectly normal bed in a perfectly normal room in a perfectly normal house in what sounded like Hyrule Castle Town, on a perfectly normal day.  
  
"Well, it didn't take you long to wake up did it? That's good." The voice came from a woman sitting in a chair by the bed. She helped him sit up and gave him a bowl of warm soup, smiling gently. "My husband found you lying unconcious in the field this morning. He brought you here to stay until you woke up." He suddenly noticed the ring on her fourth finger and the gentle swelling of her stomach.   
  
"Sorry if I caused you any trouble," he said sheepishly. Remembering the effects things in the past could have on the future, he decided not to tell her the truth. "I have no idea how I got to be in the field, much less unconscious. I'll leave if you don--"   
  
"Oh no, it's no trouble at all! Stay as long as you like. Besides, you don't look nearly healthy enough yet and you didn't have anything with you. If you don't have anywhere to go Tekir and I will be more than happy to let you stay in our spare room. You're going to stay anyway until I think you're healthy enough to take care of yourself better."  
  
She looked so firm on that matter that the only think he could do was grin and say, "If you insist."   
  
*****  
  
Realizing that she hadn't formally introduced her self yet, she said she was Denna, and started talking comfortably while she looked Link over for any injuries. While he had none, she said he was, "too skinny! You're hardly more than skin and bones!" After having had time to think about it, Link had decided to stay anyway. He chalked it up to that feeling he always had, which he supposed was Destiny's doing.   
  
Denna went around the house, cooking and cleaning, talking with Link all the while. Eventually, they got around to talking about Denna's unborn baby.   
  
"So...how long have you been expecting?"  
  
Blushing slightly but practically radiating happiness, she answered, "The priest told us about four months ago. Tekir and I were every so suprised when we found out. We've been trying to have children for five years now but we hadn't had much luck before. I was so happy! Finally, a child to call my own..."  
  
"Wow...so have you thought of any names for it yet?"   
  
Grinning excitedly, she said, "Oh! We've thought up names for if it's a boy or a girl. If it's a girl we'll name her Aeili but if it's a boy we'll name him--"  
  
"Denna! Has the boy awakened yet?" In the doorway Link could see a tall man with a hoe over his shoulder. Seeing Link sitting up in bed he said, "Oh! So you are awake. Hm..."   
  
Squirming uncomfortably at the intense gaze, Link was just about to say something but Denna beat him to it.   
  
"Oh leave the boy alone Tekir! He's not feeling completely well yet, and didn't I tell you to wipe your feet on the mat before you came in? You're getting mud all over my floor!" Link thought she was rather a lot like a mother cucco, taking care of everyone and everything.   
  
Chuckling, Tekir walked over to the bed, "Don't worry Denna Dear, I just wanted to see how our guest is faring. So boy, do you know where you are? We don't usually find lads out cold in Hyrule field."   
  
"Er, I think I'm in Hyrule Castle Town...but if I am I have no idea how I got here in the first place." Deciding that not telling the whole truth couldn't hurt, he continued, "I travel around a lot you see, but the last place I remember being at was Lake Hylia. I was nowhere near Hyrule Castle."  
  
"Hm...do you have any kinsmen, any family to speak of?" Tekir asked, looking slightly puzzled.  
  
"Well, no, but I think I do well enough on my own---"  
  
"No!" Startled, he looked up at Denna. "If you don't have anyone to take care of you then you're staying here until you feel completely well. You already said you would." She was giving him that stern look again.  
  
"Yes, I think it'd be better if you stayed with us for a while. And I don't think Denna will take "no" for an answer," Tekir said, winking at him.   
  
"Well, okay, if it doesn't intrude too much on you." Link said meekly.   
  
Laughing heartily, Tekir said, "Of course not! I'm sure Denna already told you we could lend you the spare room, and it will be nice to have another person in the house. By the way boy, what's your name?"  
  
"My name is Link."   
  
--------------------------------------  
  
To be continued... 


	3. 3

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to videogame series The Legend of Zelda. Destiny is a concept that has been around far longer than I have been, I have just decided to give her a spiritual and physical form. There will be some other original characters in this story and any resemblence they may have to humans or other ficitional charcters is entirely coincidental. Comments and constructive criticism are welcome but no flames please. Unless it's to tell me my characters are Mary Sue's or Gary Stu's. If that happens, fire away =). ~Animal Cracker   
  
-----------------------------  
  
'I could get used to this kind of life', Link thought. It was certainly a break after his adventures running all over Hyrule, fighting monsters and an evil madman trying to take it over. He had been staying with Tekir and Denna for almost three months now. He felt a bit guilty for taking advantage of their kindness for so long, but he liked it here, and Denna was always thinking of ways to keep him here, to "fatten him up" as she said. It had been about a month and a half ago when she had finally deemed him fit to be out of the house, and about a month ago when he had started helping Tekir in the fields. He was weeding a patch of beans when he looked up to see a group of soldiers marching out the castle gates. Link asked, "What are those soldiers doing? I thought it was peace time."   
  
Sighing, Tekir replied, "It is, techinically. All the races of Hyrule have been keeping mostly to themselves for some fifty years now, but there's been talk of, " he lowered his voice, "the Gerudo. You see, the Gerudo are a race of female thieves, who only give birth to a male to be their king once every hundred years. Well, their new king was born about twenty years ago, so his coronation should either come very soon, or has already happened. And, " Tekir lowered his voice even more, "there's been rumors that he isn't completely right in the head. They're saying he might try something, after all these years of peace. Do you know what they're saying he's going to try to steal?"   
  
Link thought a bit...no, it couldn't be...  
  
His voice now only a whisper, Tekir hissed, "The Triforce! Holy relic of the Three Goddesses!" Then, seeming to catch himself, he quickly said, "Not that I listen to such rumors."   
  
But Link wasn't listening to Tekir anymore, instead turning back to his weeding, and pondering over this new information.   
  
'That's right, this is only ten years before my time. Ganondorf should be alive, and from the looks of it, his actions ten years from now aren't his first attempts to steal the Triforce. Maybe Destiny sent me back in time to prevent Ganondorf from stealing the Triforce the first time, or even to kill him right now when his powers haven't fully manifested yet and prevent the whole thing from happening in the first place.' Link was still puzzled though. 'But if that's the case, why didn't she just do this from the start, and save the people of Hyrule from so much pain and suffering? Why doesn't she just have someone from this time stop Ganondorf? She must be powerful enough to ensure success if she can send me back in time so easily. Besides, isn't my being here a possible danger to the timeline? What is she planning to do?' Sighing, Link broke off his thoughts and tried to concentrate on his current task instead.  
  
**********************  
  
Ganondorf sat still and silent on his throne. There was always a pair of bodyguards at his side, but they might have been invisible for all the attention he paid them. He was thinking hard, and everybody knew not to disturb them. Earlier that day, he had been looking through the records in the library, hoping to chance upon a new spell to learn or more historic texts. As he was pulling a book off the shelf, another fell on to the ground next to him. Somehow, it managed to land so that it opened perfectly to the very center of the book. He had been about to shut it and put it away, when a passage caught his eye.   
  
Sitting on his throne, Ganondorf was pondering that very passage.   
  
"The Triforce...a magical relic able to grant the desires of whoever should be able to unlock the gates of the Sacred Realm..."  
  
As long as he could remember, his people had not been faring well. Despite the supposed agreement of peace made by all the tribes in Hyrule, the other races were still inclined to look down their noses at what they deemed a heathen race, made of thieves and whores. The Desert was not suited for growing crops on which they could subsist, and it was inconvenient to have to trade for all their food, which had usually spoiled by the time it had gotten to them from across the vast Hyrule field. If there was some way to gain this Triforce, he might be able to help his people, like he always dreamed he would as a young boy.  
  
  
"One half of the Key to the Sacred Realm is the Master Sword, forged by the Goddesses at the beginning of the time, lighter than air, stronger than diamond. The other is a lad with hair as gold as the sun, eyes as blue as the summer sky, with the courage of a hundred men, and with a heart more pure than newly fallen snow. Only he will be able to free the Master Sword from its pedestal...and open the gate to the Sacred Realm."  
  
Blond hair, blue eyes, a Hylian by the sound of it, and even among Hylians those with both blond hair and blue eyes were rare. If he could find such a person, perhaps he could make his dream a reality. This was most definitely the chance of a life time.  
  
'Still,' he thought, 'it's quite strange how the book happened to land right on that page...'   
  
**********************  
  
In the gray room, that was once featureless, there sat a large loom. On it, there was a half finished tapestry. It's design kept changing; a breathtaking sunset, a cool forest meadow, a battle between the Goron and Zora people, a house burning to cinders. It wasn't possible to see the picture changing, until it actually did, and you suddenly realized that the flower you had been gazing at was suddenly a blast of flame rushing from a dragon's mouth.   
  
In front of the loom sat Destiny; gray, ageless, unchanging. She wove with skill far above the greatest weavers Hyrule had ever known, her fingers flying, the shuttle bobbing and weaving, but the tapestry never seemed to get any longer. She paused and cocked her head, as if she were listening to a distant sound. She smiled, a smile that wasn't entirely friendly.   
  
"Mortals are so fun to play with."   
  
----------------------------  
  
To be continued... 


	4. 4

Told you I write slowly^_^. ~Animal Cracker  
  
*Note: Zora's Domain melted, because I just couldn't get why it didn't in the game.   
  
--------------------------------  
  
Night had fallen on Hyrule Castle Town, and most of its citizens were already in bed, dreaming the night away. Link had gone to bed, but he just couldn't seem to fall asleep. He found that this was becoming a recurring problem, but he just couldn't help feeling like there was something he was missing, something important. There seemed to be a thought, a revelation just waiting to happen, sitting just out of reach of his mind. It had something to do with his host, but he hadn't the slightest idea what it could be.   
  
There was a murmur of voices from the next room, and the rustling of bedsheets. Link heard someone roll over, and the sounds stopped. Link returned to his previous train of thought. He had been staying with Denna and Tekir for almost four months now, and Denna was expecting her baby anytime soon. Because of the pregnancy she tired easily, and couldn't do all of the house chores by herself anymore, so Link had stopped working in the fields and now stayed to help her do the washing and cooking.   
  
It was when he was helping Denna, talking with her, spending time with her, that he felt the need to know at its strongest. Not for the first time, he wondered if it wasn't Destiny that was doing this, keeping the thought from coming to him. During his first quest to defeat the Ganondorf of his time, he had also felt like his curiousity, his questions had been suppressed by an outside force, to keep him focused on his job. After he had completed his task, he had been able to think back to what he had done, and realized that it wasn't exactly his sense of adventure that had kept him going through the many trials and horrors he had experienced. There had been times, especially during that wretched Shadow Temple, that he had just felt like giving up, for it wasn't *his* job to save the world. He *was* only ten after all.   
  
But then he'd think about the Zora, and the way they had cried when they had been freed of the ice. And the Kokiri, the gratitude on their faces when they could once again leave their houses and walk throught the forest without fear. The Gorons had been crying with joy when he had freed them from their prisons in the Fire Temple, and everyone had been so happy, when they had finally realized that Ganondorf was gone for good. Maybe it was worth it, bringing peace and happiness to all of Hyrule. After all, what was the suffering of one to the suffering of many?   
  
But sometimes, when he just happened to watching, he would see the look of love that passed between Denna and Tekir. They were obviously deeply in love with one another, but even so they always had time to talk to him and spend time with him, never letting him feel alone. They treated him like he was their own son, and he would at these times wonder what his life would have been like if his mother hadn't died and left him with the Great Deku Tree, if he had grown up with a mother and father. It was in these moments that he would resent Destiny the most for thrusting the responsibility of saving the world upon his young shoulders, but they always passed quickly, and he would always feel ashamed for thinking such things.   
  
The elusive thought was almost tangible now, and he felt the need to finally grasp it at its most urgent yet, but then his eyes were closing and he was falling asleep and he dreamed of nothing throughout the night.  
  
-------------------------------  
  
To be continued... 


	5. 5

I don't own Zelda. Duh. Who writes fanfiction for their own creations? It wouldn't be fanfiction in that case anyway.  
  
If my original characters are Mary-Sues/Gary Stus, feel free to slap me=).~Animal Cracker   
---------------------------------------  
  
The double doors of the guest room flew open with a loud bang as Ganondorf strode in angrily. He had a dark scowl on his face, and even his bodyguards were careful to keep some distance between them and him. He sat at the desk and ordered that some water be brought to him before dismissing everyone from the room.   
  
As he sipped the precious liquid, so scarce in Gerudo Valley and the Barren Wasteland but so plentiful here, in the castle and the lands surrounding it, he reflected back upon the meeting he had just attended. Six hours in a hot, stuffy room with no windows and uncomfortable high-backed chairs, guards at every entrance and that pompous, condescending voice drilling in to his head, and nothing to show for it. To think that the Hylian king would actually listen to the opinions of a Gerudo heathen, royalty or not, was ridiculous, really. But he had tried. He had no other choice, and time was running out.   
  
All he wanted was the land surrounding the entrance to the valley to grow food on. There was no one living on it or farming it, the plots being too far from any Hylian villages to be convenient. But it was still considered part of Hyrule Field, and so was under the jurisdiction of the Hylian King. When he had asked the king for some of the land, he was told that it had been set aside for the rapidly growing Hylian population, and he just couldn't give it away. 'You understand my reasons don't you, being a ruler yourself? The needs of my people come first.'   
  
Yes, the needs of his people. The people of fair skin, the people of hair that came in more colors than just red, the people of pointed ears. Nevermind the fact that the people to live on the land had not yet been born, that there were people right now who needed that land, needed the food. Even if they had skin dark from the sun, hair like rivers of blood, and ears that could not hear the goddesses, they were all still the children of the Mother Goddess, Farore, were they not? But what were the needs of the Gerudo before those of the Hylians?  
  
Tired of brooding, Ganondorf rose and stalked towards the bed. His current state of mind wasn't helping things; perhaps some sleep would help. The solution to his problems might come in his dreams...  
  
~*Dream*~  
  
It was insufferably hot in the market place, but having lived in a desert all his life, Ganondorf wasn't bothered by it. What bothered him was the people.  
  
It was hot and sweaty, pushing and shoving, everyone going in different directions, paying no heed to the Gerudo King, treating as if he were just another peasant. Could they not see who he was? He growled at a little girl that had run in to him, but she didn't seem to notice him at all, just kept chasing a runaway cucco.   
  
He snorted, and started working his way to the edge of the swarming mass of bodies. Suddenly, there was a flash of gold, just at the edge of his vision. He turned, searching for it. And he found it.   
  
A Hylian youth was standing in a doorway with his back toward Ganondorf. The youth didn't look all that extraordinary at first glance. He was wearing a simple dark-green tunic over black underclothes and brown boots, with his hair tied up in a short tail. But the *color* of that hair...the youth's head turned slightly, and as the sun hit his hair, it seemed as if it turned each strand in to a piece of solid sunlight.  
  
The youth was still turning, as if to face Ganondorf. As he turned, Ganondorf thought he glimpsed two eyes, as blue as any summer sky. But before he could fully see the face of the youth, he--  
  
~*End Dream*~  
  
--woke up. Link lay still, listening for any odd noises. When his sensitive ears picked up none, he relaxed.   
  
The dream had been...strange. The feeling he got from it was very similar to the dreams he had had before. It wasn't dark and foreboding like the first one that had sent him on his quest at ten years of age; it had also been different from his most recent one, of Destiny and her blank, featureless room that had chilled him. This dream had been unlike them, for he had just been dreaming of himself standing in the doorway of the house, talking with Denna. But there was still the sensation of shivers crawling up his spine.   
  
In the dream, someone had been watching him. He had turned to see who the watcher was, but had woken up before he could find them.   
  
Link closed his eyes and sighed. He didn't know what exactly it was the Destiny had sent him in to the past to do, but he knew the time to fulfill his duty had yet to come.   
  
He hoped that when the time finally arrived, Denna and Tekir wouldn't get hurt, as often happened to the people around him. Though not related to him by blood, he begun to think of them as the parents he had never known, and the unborn baby as the younger sibling he would never have.  
  
It was Denna though, who made him feel the strongest. His mother had given her life for him, so that he might live, and he had promised himself that he would do all that was within his power to make sure that no one else would have to grow up as he had, an orphan living a life without love. Without Saria, he didn't know how he would have turned out, and he knew not all orphans would be as lucky as he was, to have a true friend to look after them.   
  
Denna would be a mother soon, Tekir a father, and Link would make sure they lived to see their children's children.   
  
If he could have left them here to a quiet and peaceful life, he would have. But he knew that his task would be connected to them in some way, and leaving them would not draw the danger away from them. Instead, it would just leave them on their own to face the danger for themselves.   
  
No, it would be better to stay here, where he might at least be able protect them, and take the brunt of the attack.   
  
As he drifted off to sleep, he thought he heard a faint sound, though it might have only been the wind.   
  
A faint sound of laughter, carried away on the breeze.   
  
------------------------------------  
  
To be continued...  
  
------------------------------------ 


	6. 6

This part's longer. More dialogue, too bad I suck at it. Constructive Criticism and Comments (CCC) welcome. All previous disclaimers apply. ~Animal Cracker  
  
---------------------------  
  
The entire four days of negotiations had been a waste. Besides refusing his people the use of the land at the entrance of Gerudo Valley, the Hylian king had also brought up some of the rumors of Gerudo women "enticing" men in alleys. The king had ordered a cease and desist if such things were going on. He wasn't implying anything, of course, but one could never be too careful. Ganondorf snorted in his mind. As if his sisters would ever lower themselves to such despicable acts.   
  
The negotiations--if they could be called such--were finished and they were leaving. His entourage was waiting at the gates for him. As he turned to mount his horse, he caught a flash of something out of the corner of his eye. He swiftly turned around, and found the back of the youth from his dream coming out of a shop.   
  
Ganondorf swiftly turned to the horse mistress and with a curt order to, "Hold Baham," was off through the milling crowd.   
  
*****************  
  
It was mid-morning, a few days after his strange dream. Denna was nearing the end of her pregnancy. She could still do most of the chores around the house, but she tired more quickly, and she could no longer run errands around town. Link stopped working with Tekir in the fields to take care of her, and also to run errands for her when necessary. She had just sent him out to retrieve their weekly supply of milk and a hoe Tekir had wanted mended.   
  
'Now I just need to head down to the smith's. It should be just around this alley--'  
  
Someone tapped him on the shoulder. "Excuse me."  
  
Link turned around, about to utter a cheerful "Hello!" when he came face to face with Ganondorf. The greeting died on his lips.   
  
Ganondorf saw the surprise and suspicion in Link's eyes, and backed up a step.   
  
"I take it you know who I am."  
  
"Ganondorf, King of the Gerudo people. You're here in Hyrule Castle Town for negotiations with King Arkanon." 'And if the rumors are to be believed, for the Triforce.'  
  
The comment was unspoken, but Ganondorf could infer the gist of it from Link's wary expression. He sighed. "Once again, my reputation precedes me."  
  
Link blinked. From what he could see, there was no anger in Ganondorf's eyes, merely annoyance and resignition. It contrasted sharply with the Ganondorf of his time, ruthless and intolerant of opposition. Before he could reply though, Ganondorf continued.   
  
"To be fair though, the rumors of my pursuit of the Triforce aren't all inaccurate. However, I am certain that my perceived reasons for wanting the Triforce are wrong. I want it for my people, so that we will not have to rely on late shipments of half rotted food and a few canteens of absurdly over-priced water. I found out about the Triforce from an ancient tome in my library. It mentioned a Key with two halves. One half of the Key is the legendary Master Sword. The other half is a lad with blond hair, blue eyes, great courage, and a pure heart. I believe that you," and Ganondorf fixed Link with an even stare, "are the other half of the Key."  
  
At this comment, Link interrupted him. "You have never met me before today. How can you be certain that I am who you are searching for?"  
  
Ganondorf once again gave Link a long, appraising look before answering. "You have just given me proof of your worthiness. You are unlike any other Hylian I have ever met before. When you first met me, you didn't immediately turn your head. You have obviously already heard many unsavory things about me, and yet you still decide to see what I have to say. As for how I can be certain that you are the Key...you did not question whether the legendary Master Sword actually existed, and you did not ask me how you could possibly be half of the Key to the Triforce. Instead, you asked me how I knew *you* were one half of the Key. And that is answer enough."   
  
Ganondorf sighed once again before continuing, "I know I can not expect you to help me when you have heard nothing but ill of me, but I will lay down my pride and ask you. I don't know what it is about you that is different, but there is something. So, will you help me help my people?"   
  
Link merely stood in the center of the alley, not moving, looking anywhere but at Ganondorf. When he finally looked back up, his face was expressionless and his eyes guarded. Ganondorf growled low in his throat, before turning sharply on his heel, striding away. Before he could turn the corner however, Link spoke.   
  
"I will consider it."   
  
Ganondorf froze mid-stride, before turning slowly around to face Link.  
  
"You...what?"  
  
"I said, I will consider it. It's true, I was initially wary of you, though not for the reasons you think. I can not fully trust you, as I can not be absolutely certain of your good intentions. However, I grew up in an atmosphere of hate and prejudice, where people suffered merely for being from a certain race. I will not judge you as of yet, but I will need more time. So, I will consider it."   
  
"Then...how will I know your answer?"   
  
Link simply smiled. "I will find a way."   
  
Then, to Ganondorf's surprise, Link etched a deep bow that should have looked ridiculous with him holding two milk bottles, but instead looked like a gesture of deepest respect. Before he could react Link had straightened up, turned the corner, and disappeared.  
  
*****************  
  
Link had finally gotten the hoe back around lunch time from the smith's and was heading back when he passed set of stairs that led to a path cutting through a stand of tall trees. He looked around curiously, surprised when no one seemed to notice it. He looked at the path again only to realize, with a jolt, that this was the path to the Temple of Time.   
  
As he walked up the steps, he looked back once more to see if anyone was going to stop him. No one seemed to even see him. Link shrugged and continued down the path.  
  
It wasn't long before he was standing at the entrance. He hesitated, before setting down the milk and the hoe and walking up the steps and entering the Temple of Time.  
  
It was exactly as he remembered it. Light streamed down from high windows no matter what the weather was like and there was always a feeling of peace. It always felt peaceful in the temple. Even those times when Ganondorf had...  
  
Link walked up to the altar where the Spiritual Stones would stand in the future. When he reached it, he looked up at the Door of Time, the giant stone slab that stood between the outside world and the Master Sword, Gate to the Sacred Realm.   
  
'Ganondorf...the Ganondorf of this time is very different from the one of my time. He really does seem to want the Triforce only to help his people.' Link walked up to the Door of Time and put his hand over the barely visible break where it would open ten years later.   
  
'Ten years...it took ten years to ruin Ganondorf...maybe this is what Destiny wants me to do. Not to prevent Ganondorf from getting the Triforce, but to make sure he uses the Triforce for good.' Link backed away from the door, blinking. Shaking his head, he turned around and walked back towards the entrance.   
  
'I almost want to trust him. I'll just have to wait and see.'   
  
*****************  
  
Denna looked up from her mending just in time to see Link walking through the door with a mended hoe, two bottles of Lon Lon milk, and a thoughtful expression on his face.   
  
"Did you have any trouble in the market?" she asked.   
  
Link started. "Huh? Oh, no problems."   
  
"Are you sure? You look a bit tired..." she trailed off, worried.   
  
Link blinked, then smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, I guess I'm a little tired. Um...could I go rest for a little bit, if you don't have anything for me to do?"   
  
Denna just smiled gently. "Of course! Don't worry about me, Tekir should be home soon anyway."  
  
"Well, if you're sure..." he said, an embarrassed expression on his face.  
  
"Go on! Go, you look like you need some rest." She shooed him towards the guest room while he laughed.  
  
As she watched him go, she sighed and patted her stomach. 'Link is such a nice boy...I hope he'll stay around after I give birth. He would make such a good older brother.' She returned to her mending, this time humming a little tune.   
  
--------------------------------  
  
To be continued...  
  
--------------------------------  
  
I think this chapter has the single longest scene I have ever done. Yay me. 


End file.
